Boart Longyear engineers a fully hands-free drilling solution
Published by Harleigh Hobbs,
Editor
World Coal,
Mining companies increasingly expect drilling contractors to keep pace with their commitment for healthier and safer work sites for all employees. Manual rod handling hazards increase the risk of severe hand and back injuries within the drilling industry, and innovation that removes the driller from hazards associated with those risks is proven to make a difference in safety.
To meet major mining’s increased safety requirements, Boart Longyear™ has engineered a fully hands-free drilling solution with its most popular surface coring rig – the LF™90D – in mining markets in North America, Africa and Asia. The in-house engineering teams in all three markets have been collaborating for the last several years and a number of rigs have now been retrofitted with this hands-free solution.
The LF90D uses a hollow spindle drill head, making it challenging for rod handling. By retrofitting the rig with a tilting head mechanism and a customised FL262 FREEDOM Loader, Boart Longyear now offers a completely hands-free rod handling solution for the fleet of LF90D rigs.
The FREEDOM Loader also works with the LF™160 and the LF™350 surface coring rigs – additional surface coring rigs that offer completely hands-free rod handling.
“This is a significant safety enhancement for our clients and our drillers, as it removes the driller from multiple hazards associated with suspended loads and manually handling drilling rods. The new hands-free solution prevents back injuries, strains, pulls and hand injuries. This is another example of our commitment to provide healthier and safer work sites for both our clients and our employees,” said James Chalmers, Vice President of Environment, Health, Safety and Training.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/product-news/14062017/boart-longyear-engineers-a-fully-hands-free-drilling-solution/
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